TOLL GATES BURNT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 54, 13 June 1910, Page 5

TOLL GATES BURNT.

The Hawera" Star reports that early on Saturday morning the tollgates at the Main South road station were lifted from their hinges and carried away. Upon the discovery being made, the keeper, Mr. T. Lloyd, made an unsuccessful search for it Later in the day, however, ia renewed search discovered the burnt remains of the gate on Mrs. Shearer's property opposite the tollhouse. County officials and Council members hastened to express the opinion that there was not the slightest suspicion that the owner of the property upon which the burning took place was* in any way implicated.

In conversation with Councillor Goodland, formerly chairman of the county. that councillor said to a Star reporter that the obvious remedy for this sort of thing was to revise the toll charges »t> as to ibring in additional revenue to enable the Council to keep nightwatchmen at the gates. He intended to give notice to move to that effect at the next meeting of the Council. Our contemporary comments: "This malicious destruction of public/property is a piece of work which will foe condemned by all lawnabiding people, quite irrespective of their views on the propriety of the tollgates as a means of collecting revenue. There ought to be no tollgates in a district like this, and there need be none if local government were conducted on a businesslike basis, and the ratepayers in all parts shouldered their fair share of burdens."